This week at Walt Disney World, Disney announces an opening date (and official name) for the Princess and the Frog attraction replacing Splash Mountain, a Disney Springs project is canceled, plus the return of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party gets its first sell out night.
Outside Walt Disney World, LEGOLAND Florida announces a November opening date for its new ride, new details about Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando are confirmed plus a limited-time free ticket deal comes to SeaWorld next week!
1. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure officially coming to the Magic Kingdom in 2024
Disney confirmed this week that the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is replacing Splash Mountain, will open at both Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park in late 2024. No announcement has been made about when Splash Mountain will close for good but given the timetable, it seems likely that this ride will shutter before the end of the year.
This new ride will take place after the final kiss as Naveen and Louis join Tiana on her new adventure, hosting a one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras celebration where everyone is welcome. The attraction will include original music inspired by songs from the film as well as plenty of additional familiar characters from the film.
More details will likely be released in the months to come as Disney gets ready to get to work on this new attraction.
2. Full Eat to the Beat performer lineup revealed
The full performer line-up has now been confirmed for this year’s EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival Eat to the Beat Concert Series, which kicks off in just a few days on July 14. The latest additions to the lineup include new and returning performers like Jimmie Allen, 98 Degrees, Kenny G, Jeremy Camp, Robert Randolph Band, Postmodern Jukebox, Blanco Brown and American Authors. Concerts are performed nightly from July 14 to November 14 at 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM in the America Gardens Theatre. You can check out the full lineup of performers here.
3. Halloween Night already sold out for the return of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
July may have only just gotten underway, but Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Haloween Party already has its first sell-out night, as tickets are no longer available for the Halloween Night edition of this upcharge event. Tickets are still available for all other nights and prices range from $109 – $199 per guest.
4. Annual Passholders can get new Orange Bird magnet at Disney Springs
Beginning July 5, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will be able to snag a new free magnet at Disney Springs featuring the Orange Bird. To get this new freebie, passholders will need to sign-up for the Virtual Queue on the My Disney Experience app for a one-hour arrival window at Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories to grab the magnet. Limit one magnet per passholder.
5. Reopening prices announced for Harmony Barbershop on Main Street USA
The Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street USA is reopening later this month on July 31 and in preperation for this location’s first opening in over two years Disney has updated its official website with the following starting prices confirmed for this returning location:
- Kid’s haircut: $20
- Adult haircuts: $21
- Beard trim: $8
- “My First Haircut” package (including commemorative Mickey Ears and certificate): $28
Note, these are starting prices, and subject to change depending on cut and style.
6. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique set to reopen at the Magic Kingdom on August 25
Fans of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will need to wait a little bit longer for the return of this location as Disney has confirmed that the Magic Kingdom location will be waiting until the tail end of summer to reopen on August 25. No updated pricing or services have been announced just yet for this location, but as we move closer to the August reopening date more details should become available.
7. Brightline Disney Springs train station cancelled due to route change
Though Disney Springs was originally set to get a station along the new brighline train route across Central Florida, plans appear to have been scrapped for this stop. A Disney representative confirmed this cancellation, and said that the change was due to a route change made by the people who are spearheading the Brighlline project, which would not bring the line near enough to Disney Springs for a station.
8. Star Wars Launch Bay experiences get Lightning Lane access for both attraction and character meet and greets
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will finally be reopening the Star Wars Launch Bay attraction on July 17, and now it looks like guests who purchase the Genie+ $15 service will be able to skip the line to get into the attraction as well as for individual meet and greets for Darth Vader and Chewbacca inside (making it a total of three new Lightning Lane additions for Disney’s Hollywood Studios tied to this park).
9. Captain’s Revenge — Drowned in Darkness as well as pirate-themed scarezone confirmed to be coming to SeaWorld Orlando Howl-O-Scream
SeaWorld Orlando has annouced the first house of the year for its returning Howl-O-Scream event will be Captain’s Revenge — Drowned in Darkness, which is a reimagined version of last year’s Captain’s Revenge house. You can check out a preview of last year’s house above. A new pirate-themed scare zone called Cut Throat Cove was also announced for this year’s event.
10. New Pirate River Quest ride to have grand opening at LEGOLAND Florida in November
LEGOLAND Florida has announced that it will open its new Pirate River Quest boat ride later this year on November 2. The family boat ride will include scenes with Lego’s Calico Jade pirate character plus plenty of action scenes with other pirate characters as well as monkeys, flamingos and even the kraken! You can check out a video preview of this attraction above.
11. Veterans can enjoy free admission to SeaWorld for the next week
SeaWorld Orlando has announced a limited-time return of free admission for veterans and up to three guests from now through July 10th. Veterans can register for a complimentary single-day ticket for themselves and up to three dependents before July 10th at WavesofHonor.com. This new limited time offer is in addition to the free year-round admission for active-duty servicepeople and their families.
